Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-05-02
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
ELOQUENT DISCOURSE CONCERNING
GOOD AND BAD LITERATURE.

ous Arts Brought Their Books To-
gether. and Burned Them Before All
Men,,
BROOKLYN, May 1.-At the tabernacle this
morning the pastor, the Rev. T. De Witt
Talmage, d. D., expounded some Of the Pro
verbs of Solomon The congregation sang
with magnificent effect the hymn beginning:
Arm Of the Lord, awakel awakei
Put on thy strength, the nations shake.
DR.. Talmage took for his text Acts xix, 10:
"Mahy of them also which used curious
arts brought their books together, and burned
them before all men: and they counted the
price Of them, and found it $1,000 pieces Of
silver $50 $50
Paul had been stirring up Ephesus with
some lively sermons about the sins of that
place. Among the more important results was
the fact that the citizens brought out their
bad books, and in a public place made bon
fire Of them. I see the people coming out
with their arms full Of Ephesian literature,
and tossing it into the flames. i hear an
economist standing byeand saying: "Stop this
waste. Here are 81, 500 worth Of books-do
you propose to burn them all up? If you don't
want to read them yourselves, sell them, and
let somebody else read them" mo" said the
people, sif these books are not COOL enough
for us, they are not good for anybody else,
and we shall stand and watch until the last
leaf has turned to ashes. They have done us
! world OF harm, and they shall never do
others harm" Hear the flames crackle and
roari
Well, my friends, one of the wants Of the
cities of this country is great bonfire of bad
books and newspapers. We have enough fuel
to make blaze 200 feet high. Many of the
publishing houses would do well to throw into
the blaze their entire stock OF goods Bring
forth the insufferable trash and put it into the
fire, and let it be known, in the presence OF
God, and angels, and men, that you are going
TO rid your homes Of tho overlapping and
underlying curse Of profiigate> literature
The printing press is the mightiest agency
on the earth for good and for evil. The min
lister of the Gospel standing IN a pulpit, has a
responsible position; Int do not think it is
as responsible as the position of an editor or a
publisher. At what distant point Of time. at
what far out cycle of eternity will cease the
influence of a Henry ]. Raymond, or Horace
Greeley, or James Gordon Bennett, or
Watson Webb, or an Erastus Brooks, or
q Thomas Killsella? Take the simple fact
that our New York dailes now have a circu-
lation OF about $4,000 per day, and add to
it the fact that three of our weekly period
icals have an aggregate circulation OF about
1000, 900. and then cipher, il you can, how
far up and how far down and how far out
reach the influences of the American printing
press. Great God, what is to be the issue Of
all this9 believe the Lord intends the print
ing press to be the chief means for the worlds
rescue and evangelization, and think that
the great last battle Of the world will not be
fought with swords and guns, but with types
and presses-a purified and Gospel literature
triumphing over. trampling down and crush
ing out forever that which Il depraved. The
only way to overcome unclean literature ID
by scattering abroad that which is healthful.
May God speed the cylinders of airhonest, in
telligent, aggressive, Christian Printing press.
III have I'd Tell yon this morning that tie
greatest blessing that ever came to this nation
d tiiaE Of an elevated literature, and the
Greatest scotirge has been that Of unclean
literature. This last has It's victims In all oc-
Eubati6ns aiid departmeIits 10 has helped to
Aif insane asylunls, and penitef1tiaries, and
aims hotfses and dens Of shame The bodies Of
this Infection lie ID the hospitals and in the
kfAves. While their souls are being tossed over
iri66 q lost eternity, an avalanche Of horror
ana ieSphirtsi ~
I The London plague was nothing to it. That
counted its victims ~ thousands, but this
modern best has already sloveled its millions
ifIto SEe Sfkfhgl house Of the morally dead
1h6 longest RAN train that ever ran over the
Erie or Hudson tracks wak not long enough
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